Come Hell or High Water
by delenn2210
Summary: Adam makes a confession


This was a challenge at a yahoo site. Decided to post it here as well.   Take the first sentence and write a story… I am new to fan fiction, so, will welcome constructive critiquing.  Have been fan of Mutant X since day one.  Have been a scifi fan for most of my life.  Hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer:  

As always, I do not own any of these characters… All characters of "MUTANT X" Series is owned by Tribune Entertainment Company.  No copyright infringement intended with this story… I am responsible for the words I try to get them to say… Sometimes they say a lot more than I want them to say…LOL!!!

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**COME HELL OR HIGH WATER**

"Come hell or high water, I'm gonna make you love me..."Adam growled as he watched Emma and Shalimar going out clubbing.  They had been hitting the clubs every night since the incident with the Russian telepath, Ivanov.  Every time he had approached Shalimar, she had pushed him away, and fled the room.  He could only imagine what she must have experienced in the dreamscape that telepath had put her through.  

Normally, when she had been affected by something like this, she would come to him and talk about it.  She had always turned to him for support, but now she was running from him.  **_I wonder what he did to her that involved me?_** It was the only explanation that made any sense.

He slammed his fist into the tabletop.  **_Damnit, she is walking away from me, but I don't know how to stop her._**He had met her when she was the 'older woman', but when they met again, she was a young, scared, scrawny kid who was just coming into her powers. He knew he had to wait until she became a woman, and then wait and see.  

He knew she still saw him as father figure.  He also knew he hadn't the courage to tell her how he really felt.  Now, he was losing her.  Running his hands through his hair, he tried to go back to his computer and his current research- his comfort zone. But, after a few minutes of reading the same information for the fourth time and still not absorbing any of it, he decided to quit for now.  

In the gathering room, he found Jesse, and Brennan playing a new video game.  From the sounds of things, Brennan was get trashed by Jesse.  He decided to not interrupt their fun with his black cloud.  Sadly, he turned to his office.  He closed the door behind him to decrease the noise level.  

Reaching into the bottom draw of his desk, he pulled out a bottle of scotch, and a glass.  He poured a double, and downed it in one swallow.  Staring at the glass, he poured another.  He hit a few commands on the keyboard, and turned to the digital television screen.  It began to show home movies.   It was from when Shalimar and Jesse moved into Sanctuary.  He had made them for pure research, but now they were solace for him.  

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It was 5 am when Shalimar and Emma stumbled back at Sanctuary.  Emma had been the designated driver, and Shalimar was than a little drunk.  Emma had spent half the night fending off all the men who were drawn to the feral wanting to take her home, to their car, to the alley, etc.  This evening, Shalimar had been real bent to get a drunk as quickly as she could.  Emma had been picking up fear, rage, anger; some emotions she wasn't sure of from the feral for the last week.  

Since rescuing her, Emma had been trying to get Shalimar to talk about it.  Emma had only been in Ivanov's mind for a few minutes, and she had been there on a mission.  She hadn't taken the time to look around, but now it was too late.  She hadn't known the true extent of her powers until she went up against him.  Afterwards, she was very scared of how her powers had grown.  She had brushed Adam off when they talked afterwards; it was her way of hiding for now so that he didn't know **how** her powers had grown.  

This makes the fifth time this week she had to drag Shalimar home before a bar fight arose over who was going to be taking her home.  **_This is the last time.  When she wakes up with the hangover I expect, I am going to talk and she is going to do more than listen_**, Emma decided. 

"Emma…" Shalimar's voice called her back to reality.  "I think I'm going to be sick…" Shalimar began to dry heave.  

Quickly, she threw Shalimar's arm over her shoulder, and dragged her to the closest bathroom. Luck was with them, she got her there before she started heaving.  

A few minutes later, Shalimar pulled her head away from the porcelain god and accepted the glass of water, and a moistened washcloth Emma handed her. 

"Thanks, Em…" Shalimar managed to say.

Reaching out, Emma tucked an errant lock of blonde hair behind her left ear.  "Shal, I love you, but you have got to quit doing like this and just talk to someone." She knew trying to reason with a drunk was not the right time to talk about this, but she was worried, Damnit!

"Please, Em…" was all she was able to get out before she started heaving again.  

Emma made sure she held Shalimar's hair out of the way.  She wasn't sure what else Shalimar had to throw up.  

Shalimar picked up the conversation that had been going on before she interrupted it, "I need a friend not a counselor."

Emma wiped her pale face. "Shal, if I wasn't your friend, I wouldn't be trying to counsel you."  She paused before continuing, "I'm getting tired of being the designated driver." 

As Shalimar stood and weaved for a moment until she found the wall to steady herself, her anger flamed, "Nobody twisted your arm!  All you had to say was you didn't want to go!"  She stormed out of the bathroom. and by leaning on the wall, she went  towards her room.

Emma sighed.  **_I knew better than to try to reason with a drunk, and even more with a drunken feral_**. Sighing again, she followed in Shalimar's wake. She found her fully dressed, and passed out on the bed. Struggling, Emma turned her over, removed her boots, and loosened the buttons on her shirt, and pants.  She was too tired to do any more.  She pulled a blanket up over her prone figure, and kissed her on the cheek.  "'Night, Shal."

She turned, but stopped when she heard Shal mumble, "'Night, Emma… and thanks."

Emma smiled as she left. 

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Thirty minutes later, Emma had changed and crawled into bed, but couldn't fall asleep.  She started a meditation exercise to see if she could center herself enough to sleep.  Just as she was drifting off, someone in great anguish invaded her thoughts. Bolting upright, she had to take several breaths to calm her racing heart.  

Grabbing a robe, Emma went towards Shalimar's room.  She was very sure it was her.  Quietly, she opened Shal's door.  The only source of the light was from the hall, but she saw Shalimar had not changed her position since she left her.  Her face showed no indications she was having a nightmare.  Confused, Emma backed out into the hall, and closed the door. 

Leaning against the wall, she took a cleansing breath and opened herself up.  First, she checked on Brennan but he was having an action/ adventure dream, and Jesse was having an erotic dream that she quickly back out of.  That left Adam.  Come to think of it, when they came in, she hadn't noticed a light in the lab. 

Walking towards his bedroom, Emma felt she was walking away from Adam's and his feelings.  Turning, she decided to check in his office.  Opening the door, she was shocked by the image before her.  The only light in the room was from the digital television screen.  But, even in the low light, she could see papers were strewn all over the floor, furniture, and cabinets.  Adam had his own organization system, but she had never seen his office look like this.  The images on the screen were videos of Shalimar and Jesse.  **_They look very young,_** Emma thought.  As her eyes became more adjusted to dim room, she could see Adam sitting behind his desk, and his feet propped on it.  He had an almost empty bottle of liquor sitting before him, and glass dangled in his hand.

"Adam…" she quietly called. "Are you awake?'

No answer.  She hesitantly entered farther into the room.  "Adam…" she called again. 

He stirred.  "Em…ma… what cccann I… ddoo for… you." He slurred.

**_Oh, my God, not another drunk!_** Mentally, she slapped her face, and grimaced.  **_What did I do to deserve this?_**

"Adam, are you okay?" she asked in concern.  

"Sure!" he said. "I was just doing some… research…" He took another drink from the glass.  

Striding to the desk, Emma snatched the glass, and bottle.  It was scotch and he smelled like a brewery from where she stood. "What kind of research are you doing… How many drinks does it take for you to get drunk?' 

Angrily, he looked at her.  "Who died, and made you my keeper?" he demanded.

**_Great! Two angry drunks!, _**She thought as she shook her head tiredly. **_Just what I needed at…_**looking at the clock…**_6 o'clock in the morning.  _**Knowing that she needed to either sober him up, or pour him into his bed, she debated which one she could accomplish without help. She knew how embarrassed he would be if any of the other team members found him this state of mind.  She nodded; mind made up. " Adam…. Adam…" she called trying to get his attention.  He had returned to staring at the images on the television.  She stepped around the desk, and into his line of sight.  

Finally, he looked up until he could look at who was in his way.  Reaching for her, he said, "Emma, move!"

"Adam, it's 6 o'clock in the morning, and if I guess right, you have finished a bottle of scotch.  You don't want the guys to find you this way." He nodded, and she continued, "… Then you need to stand up, and let me help you to bed."  

She waited for her words to sink in. 

Adam nodded and attempted to stand, but staggered heavily into her.  It took all of her strength to keep him upright. "Okay, Adam, you have got to help me, hear me?"

Draping an arm around her neck, Adam leaned in close, "Emma, did I ever tell you how good you smell?"

Emma blushed. **_He is going to regret this come morning!_**  "Come on, Adam," she said as she walked towards the door.  

"Emma, do you know how much I love her… I have been in love with her since I met her when I was 16.  She was the beautiful blond nymph I met one day at Genomex, and then she disappeared. I searched and searched, but she was nowhere to be found."  

He staggered again, and Emma had to push him against the wall to keep him upright.  She took a moment to catch her breath.

He continued to talk, "Then I saw her at 15, or who I thought washer.  She was lost, alone, and so afraid…. I took her into my home, and as I watched she grew into the woman I had seen that day. I had thought once I knew for sure who I had met as a woman was the child before me, I would tell her when she became a grownup… Tell her how I felt… But, when I am with her all I sense from her is that she sees me as a father figure… "  He paused. 

Emma took advantage of his pause in his ramblings.  Once again, she draped his arm around her shoulders, and proceeded towards his bedroom.

"I have stood by and watched her go off on missions, and come back hurt.  Still, I am a coward, and I hid in my lab… I am such an idiot…"

Emma opened his door, and got him to the bed.  When she released her hold, Adam fell face first into it.  Emma sighed, and agitatedly she said, "Adam…" No response.  "Adam…" she said a little louder.  Still, no response.  Angrily, she ran her hands through her hair, and tried to think.  Concentrating, she mentally, and physically pushed him to his back. Lightly, she slapped his chin, "Adam… Wake up!" 

"Huh, huh, what?" his eyes opened but pupils were dilated unseeing.  Finally, she saw him stared at her and a look of confusion crossed his face.  "Emma?  Where am I?'

"You are lying on your bed, and you need to sit up," Emma ordered.  "We need to get you undressed." She reached out for the lapels of his jacket and tried to pull him up.

Adam batted her hands away.  Indigent he asked, "Emma, what do you think you are doing?" 

"Adam, I found you drunk in your study, and I am trying to get you to bed before you pass out."

"Am I not drunk," He said righteously. 

Emma had to struggle to keep from smiling.  "The empty bottle of scotch on your desk says differently."  Finally, she got his jacket off and began on the buttons on his shirt.  She wanted to get him undressed before he passed out, but he wasn't making it easy. 

"I just had **one** **drink **to relax, that is all…" Adam stated.  Once again, he thought Emma had grown a few more hands.  "EMMA! Quit trying to get me undress…" Before he said anything else, his eyes rolled back into his head, and he fell back on the mattress.  

"Great… I am real tired of being at the head of the 'get the drunk to bed' list," she complained out loud.  Bending down, she slid his shoes off, and got his leg into the bed.  

"Shalimar…" he murmured in his sleep. "I love you."

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Not Sure I Need To Write Anymore… What Do You Think???


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